


Boring Choices Rich Kids Choose

by jannika



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-31
Updated: 2012-08-31
Packaged: 2017-11-19 17:17:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/575697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jannika/pseuds/jannika
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where they're shipwrecked but not really. An AU where they all belong to a country club, Niall only bartends for fun, Liam is lifeguard and champion sailor, Harry hasn't been around in a few summers, Louis has a secret, and Zayn is finally learning to swim.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boring Choices Rich Kids Choose

**Author's Note:**

> So. This is not a sequel or that polyamory thing I wanted to write. Those are coming. This is not them. This is a country club AU even though I know as much about country clubs as I do about boarding schools- so only what books, movies and TV have told me. It largely exists because [This picture](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m413ih5ygN1qhbsgwo1_r1_500.png) exists. This is just a little thing, ridiculous situations but a lot of feelings. As always, for the Liam to my Zayn [](http://folkloric-feel.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://folkloric-feel.livejournal.com/)**folkloric_feel** and with thanks to everyone who reads all of these.

Zayn's condo is actually empty when he walks in and throws down his luggage, which surprises him a little since last year Louis had been waiting for him, in his bed and with a bottle of vodka. Although, that had been a little hard to explain to his cab driver, so he supposes it's for the best as he looks around and tips the driver for dropping off the rest of his stuff. It's the same condo he's had the past two years, his summer home now that he's been deemed old enough to stay alone and not in the Tomlinson house that sits several acres away across the golf courses and the marina. He's been coming out here every summer since he was thirteen, the year after the Tomlinsons had moved out of the house next door and out here to manage this highly exclusive country club. It had seemed like a good idea, not only because Zayn and Louis had been so close growing up, but because it was decided that a place with pools and boats and tennis courts and dozens of other activities was a better place for a teenage boy then his large and empty more often than not house.

He actually debated not coming back this summer, there was a design workshop at school he could have stayed and taken, and he doesn't even really like swimming, or boats, or water, honestly, but here he is anyway, like every year. He heads to the kitchen and grins a little at the note magneted to his fridge in Louis' handwriting. He pulls it off and reads, shaking his head.

_Z,_

_You're late! Come find me in the bar when you get here and we'll have lunch. I missed you, college boy._

_L_

Zayn grabs his summer keys off the table where they've been set out for him and shoves them in his jacket pocket before heading out the door and towards the main building. He walks in and heads towards the bar, grinning a little, because he really does like it here and he's missed Louis. He pushes the door open and starts to scan the room, but stops before he gets even halfway across the room because Louis' friend- and Zayn's summer friend by extension- Niall is standing _behind_ the bar.

"Working for a living?" Zayn asks, sliding onto a bar stole. Niall beams at him.

"I heard you were getting in today!" Niall says, pulling Zayn into a one armed hug.

"Just got here," Zayn confirms.

"It's fun," Niall says, gesturing around.

"Yeah?"

"I get bored and this is fun. I used to do it at parties up at school," Niall says, shrugging.

"You're not 21," Zayn says.

"Like anyone here cares," Niall throws back, "you want something?"

"It's like, one in the afternoon," Zayn says.

"So is that a yes?" Niall says.

"Of course it is," a voice in Zayn's ear says and he find himself pulled into a giant hug that smells like summer the ocean and everything else Louis. Zayn beams and turns around on his bar stole to return the hug.

"Hey Lou," Zayn says.

"Talking to Niall before you found me? I'm offended," Louis says, releasing Zayn but then sliding down to sit next to him so they're sharing the bar stole and Louis is pretty much on Zayn's lap.

"Maybe he missed me the most," Niall says, pouring something out into two small glasses.

"I was avoiding you, actually. You ruined it," Zayn says.

"You are sad every moment of your life that's not spent with me," Louis says, mock pouting.

"I cry every day," Zayn says.

"I know," Louis says. Niall slides them the drinks then and Louis grins, "toast to summer?"

"To summer," Zayn asks, gulping down whatever it is Niall had poured. He probably should have asked first, but whatever. It's strong and sort of sticky in his throat and he winces a little but allows himself to sink into Louis a little.

"What is all this?" Louis says, sliding his fingers under Zayn's collar to swipe over the edge of a tattoo, "how many are you on now?"

"Just a few more than last summer," Zayn says, shrugging, "I texted you after all of them."

"I kept getting things like, days later though," Louis says, grinning. While Zayn had been off doing his freshman year in college, Louis had been backpacking across Europe, deferring for a year and getting drunk in as many countries as possible. Zayn had gotten postcards and random, not connected to anything texts all year. "But I like this look on you. Very sexy."

"It's the same look as always," Zayn says, rolling his eyes.

"The correct response there was actually, 'you're very sexy yourself', but nice try," Louis says.

"Yes. All your travel has made you glow with sophistication and culture. You're stunning. Happy?" Zayn says.

"Don't encourage him," Niall says.

"How many are you hiding under this sweater?" Louis asks.

"Some," Zayn shrugs.

"Show me later?" Louis asks, grinning.

"Sometime when you're not in the middle of the bar, yeah?" Niall says.

"Are we getting you in trouble at work?" Louis asks, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know why you're mocking your all-access pass to drinks at anytime of day," Niall says.

"Because we always had that? Me having access to every room here and all," Louis says.

"Yeah but we had to hide before," Niall says.

"This does feel a little classier, sitting at the bar and not sneaking," Zayn says.

"Nothing says class like hard liquor before dinner," Louis says.

"You want another?" Niall asks.

"Obviously," Louis says. Zayn nods and pushes his glass forward too, because why not, really? It is summer now. Niall is pouring the drinks when the door swings open and a guy about their age walks in. He's in head to toe Burberry and he's typing something into his Blackberry rapidly, looking tense.

"Who's that?" Zayn asks.

"You've never met Liam?" Niall asks.

"I guess he is never here in the summer, always off being a champion," Louis says.

"Champion of what?" Zayn asks.

"I don't know, everything?" Louis says.

"Liam wins a lot of things, sailing mostly, I think," Niall says.

"He's our age?" Zayn asks.

"Yeah. He keeps to himself, mostly," Louis says.

"Louis means he doesn't drink," Niall says.

"Not normally anyway," Louis says, "but there was this one time."

"What time?" Niall says.

"You remember that party last year, the one for all of us that had just graduated? I don't think you were here for the summer yet, Zayn," Louis says.

"Yeah?" Niall says.

"Liam was drinking that night," Louis says, watching as Liam sits down at a table far across the room from them, clearly waiting for someone.

"And?" Niall asks.

"And there was dancing," Louis says, looking pleased with himself.

"Fascinating," Zayn says.

"And Liam was dancing with me. My hips and his have been in very close contact. And the thigh muscles on that boy? It's a real shame it was only dancing," Louis says.

"You mean you threw yourself at him and he was too polite to turn you down?" Niall asks.

"I do not throw myself at people, Niall!" Louis says. Both Zayn and Niall roll their eyes at that.

"Don't you?" Zayn asks.

"Never," Louis says. His phone goes off then and he digs it out of his pocket, brushing Zayn's thigh as he does. He smirks at his phone and then scoots away and stands up, "I've gotta run."

"I thought we were doing lunch," Zayn says.

"We had drinks," Louis says, planting a kiss on Zayn's forehead as he puts his phone back into his pocket.

"That's not lunch," Zayn says.

"There are several middle-aged women at this club who would beg to differ," Louis says.

"That's true," Niall says.

"I'll come by later, I'll help you unpack and you can show me every one of those tattoos, okay?" Louis says. Zayn frowns and watches as Liam is joined by people Zayn assumes are his parents.

"Sure," he says. Louis grins and bounds off.

"He's been like that for a few weeks," Niall says.

"Like what?" Zayn asks.

"Distracted," Niall says, "lighting up every time he looks at his phone."

"You think he's seeing somebody?" Zayn asks, frowning again. Niall shrugs.

"Who knows?" Niall says, "Did you still want this drink?"

"Yeah," Zayn says, pulling the drink towards him.

"You want Louis' too?" Niall asks.

"Wouldn't want your hard work to go to waste," Zayn says. Niall grins and Zayn shakes his head as the first waves of alcohol start to hit him. It's one way to start a summer.

****

Louis ends up only staying for half an hour that night, and he never does get to see Zayn's tattoos, or hear about his school year. Everything is exactly like it always is when Louis is there, he's sprawled on Zayn's bed and they're tangled in each other and talking, but then his phone goes and he heads off, promising Zayn they'll do brunch. It's. Whatever. It's not that- Zayn is not expecting anything here. It's fine. If Louis is seeing someone, well. Zayn isn't sure why Louis wouldn't have told him, but it's fine, really. He's a little worried that Louis hasn't told him because he's seeing, like, a married man or something, but it's whatever. It's fine.

It's not that he's jealous or that it's a thing. It's not a thing, of course it's not. Shared joints and drinks and kisses and hands in pants after several drinks is not a relationship or anything at all. It's not and Zayn knows that. He does. It's just how they are, because sometimes when you're passing a bottle of rum back and forth in a golf cart and there is no one around and it's getting dark, shit happens. It's just how it is. How it's been for a couple of summers now. The only issue is that, well. Zayn's not always good with people, okay? He's not good at talking to strangers about his love life.

So he's sort of been just. Letting people assume things about him and Louis. It's not exactly- he knows it's sort of been a shit thing to do to people, he does. He has this picture of them, though. This picture where Louis is like, on his lap and they're drunk and their fingers are laced and they look so _happy_. It's not the highest quality picture in the world, but Zayn has it framed and at school it sits on his desk, facing his bed, so that anyone he's brought home has had no choice but to notice it at some point. It's probably really cowardly, but, like, he always talks about having someone in super vague terms, and people always assume he means some sort of high school girlfriend and he lets them. Normally it doesn’t go past that, but there have been nights when he's ended up drinking a little and someone has come back to his room with him and things have happened and then the next morning, or right after, or sometimes during, people will look up and catch sight of that picture. They all sort of pause and go,

"Is that?" and Zayn just always nods and lets them fill in the blanks themselves. It's not exactly a lie. Not entirely.

It always sort of sends people running and if Zayn actually wanted a relationship that would probably be really upsetting. But it's like, because everyone always assumes he's talking about a high school girlfriend? So girls he brings home sort of startle away because Louis is very much not a girlfriend, and the guys he's brought home all sort of seemed to think they were like, opening his eyes to the world of sleeping with boys. (Which, please. They're about four years too late for that one.) He thinks maybe Louis always just looks like a lot of competition. He sort of is. So whatever. It's not. He's not proud of it, but it's not his fault if people assume things, not his fault if they're not willing to try and find out more than their assumptions, right?

So he knows he and Louis aren't a thing, of course they're not. Louis is his best friend and every now and then there is a benefit and he's not stupid. It's just that maybe this year, maybe in letting people think he and Louis are a thing, there have been these little moments where he has almost let himself think it.

***

Brunch is shorter than Zayn was expecting, too, good but rushed. He doesn’t see Louis at all for the rest of the day, or the next day. He's trying not to let it get to him, walking the halls to avoid the urge to be some sad person sitting at the bar while Niall pours him drinks all afternoon. He pauses outside the pool, a sign for swim lessons catching his eye. The sign offers lessons working around your schedule from certified lifeguard Liam Payne with a number at the bottom it says to text for info. Zayn grins a little. Liam had been sort of cute in his sweater the other day, and that thing Louis had said about Liam's thigh muscles floats into his head. He really wouldn't mind seeing Liam shirtless, or being touched by Liam, or seeing those thigh muscles in action. Plus he needs to do something to fill all the Louis-free time he apparently has. He pulls out his phone and texts the number, grinning.

He arranges to meet Liam in a few hours, and then he heads back to his condo to dig out the swim trunks he's never actually worn in the water before.

****

"Can I help you?" Liam asks, looking up at Zayn from the side of the pool where he's sitting, his feet hanging in the water. He has a club windbreaker on and his eyebrows are raised.

"I'm Zayn," Zayn says, walking over to him. Liam frowns.

"Okay?" Liam says.

"I texted you about swim lessons?" Zayn offers, shoving his hands in the front pocket of his own jacket.

"Oh," Liam says.

"Am I like, early or something?" Zayn asks.

"No. I just. Most people who ask me for swim lessons are like, a decade younger?" Liam offers, looking Zayn up and down.

"Oh," Zayn says, flushing a little, "Is it okay that I'm not?"

"I. Yeah? I mean, you can't swim?" Liam asks.

"I've never been a big fan of the water," Zayn says. Liam bites his lip.

"Aren't you friends with Louis Tomlinson?" Liam asks, emphasizing friend like maybe he's asking two questions at once.

"Yes, why?" Zayn asks, crossing his arms over his chest, instantly a little defensive.

"Just asking," Liam says, holding up his hands, "you come every summer, right?"

"I do," Zayn says.

"Because you don't like water?" Liam asks.

"Seriously, if you only teach little kids or whatever, I can leave. I just thought it was about time I learned," Zayn says. Liam shakes his head.

"No, I mean. If you're sure," Liam says.

"Yeah," Zayn says, "I mean, we'll see how it goes, right?"

"Sure, yeah," Liam says. He pulls himself up and out of the water then. He pulls himself out of the water and then pulls his jacket over his head and puts it on a nearby bench. Zayn watches and, holy fuck. This was a very, very good idea because. Liam is. This is a sight that is worth standing in water and pretending to learn to swim for, really. He stares for a minute and then pulls his own jacket off, making sure his keys are secure in his pocket as he sits it on the bench next to Liam's. He looks back over at Liam then and-

Okay. He has no idea what actually happened that night between Liam and Louis, he doesn't know anything abut Liam at all, honestly, but Liam is like- he is very much staring at Zayn. He is actually kind of gulping and his eyes are running all over Zayn and the air is suddenly kind of charged and seriously, this might be one of the best ideas Zayn has ever had.

"Did um, you want to show me what you, um, what you can do?" Liam asks, and he's rambling a little and his eyes haven't quite made it back to Zayn's face yet.

"Sure," Zayn says, biting his lip a little. Liam must realize he's staring then because his eyes sort of snap back up and he turns red.

"I'm. Um. shit, sorry," Liam says. Zayn grins. If he were Louis he'd probably say something about how Liam could stare all he wanted, but he's not and so he just says,

"For what?" and smirks, and lets Liam take from that whatever he wants to.

This is already much better than just sitting at the bar all day.

****

He passes the next week or so in the same way, only seeing Louis now and then, getting a few drinks from Niall every other day or so, and getting three swim lessons from Liam. Swim lessons that involve a lot of staring and touching and blushing and conversations that are about swimming except when they feel like they're not at all. He still doesn't know what's going on with Louis, and he's getting more worried the more Louis doesn’t tell him, the more he thinks Louis is seeing someone he knows he shouldn't. He knows Louis will tell him eventually, though. Louis always does.

He's sitting in the rarely used library of the main building, a little room that he thinks was originally put in for cigar smoking and accounting. He'd discovered it when he was fifteen, it still reeks of cigars, but it's also a really good place to hide out, somewhere he knows no one will find him. Not that Louis' really been bursting into his condo unannounced this summer the way he normally does anyway, but still. He likes it in here, likes the big desks where he can spread out his sketch pad and draw in the quiet. He's working on a piece for a workshop he'd gotten an e-mail about. He'd have to leave a few weeks early, but other than his swim lessons with Liam there's not much going on anyway.

The door creaks open, and Zayn looks up to find Liam standing there, looking a little caught off guard.

"Sorry, I thought, I figured there wouldn't be anyone here," Liam says.

"There usually isn't," Zayn says.

"I'm sorry, I can go," Liam says. Zayn grins.

"It's okay," he says. Liam smiles back and walks over, dropping his shoulder back on a chair next to Zayn.

"What are you working on?" Liam asks.

"Probably nothing," Zayn says, going to close his sketch pad. Liam's hand catches it and he pushes the cover back down, running his fingers over the piece Zayn had been working on.

"I like it," Liam says.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I didn't know you drew," Liam says, sitting down in the chair next to Zayn, still studying the drawing.

"You like it?" Zayn asks.

"I do," Liam says.

"It's- there is this workshop I might apply for, at school," Zayn says.

"What's the workshop? Where'd you go, anyway?" Liam asks.

"NYU," Zayn says, "I'm Urban Design and Architecture, the workshop is for Art and Public Policy, though."

"That's awesome," Liam says.

"Yeah? I have to, I'm supposed to pick a current issue and how it's affecting the arts community and then represent that in my piece? This is just, I mean. It's just a start," Zayn says.

"Healthcare?" Liam asks, looking impressed.

"You got that?" Zayn asks.

"This is really good," Liam says, "It's like, subtle, but I got it right away all the same?"

"Thanks," Zayn says, flushing.

"How long do you have?" Liam asks.

"A few weeks. I'd have to leave the first week in August if I get it. I haven't really decided yet," Zayn says.

"Why not?" Liam asks.

"I don't know," Zayn says.

"It seems like you want it," Liam says. Zayn shrugs.

"I mean, it's really intense? But it would be amazing," Zayn says, "I might not even get it, though."

"I'd pick you," Liam says, grinning. His hand ghosts from the page over towards Zayn's, their fingers touching for just a second.

"Yeah?" Zayn says Liam grins.

"I'll let you go get back to work," Liam says.

"You don't have to go," Zayn says.

"I'll see you at swim lessons later," Liam says, standing up, "and you can tell me more about the workshop."

"Sure," Zayn says. Liam picks his bag back up and heads to the door, pausing before he pushes his way out,

"I'm Columbia, by the way," Liam says, grinning a little. And okay, he doesn’t actually say 'we spend nine months a year in the same city so would you like to have sex every weekend?' but it's what Zayn hears anyway.

****

He's finally spending some time with Louis a few days later, sitting on the roof of Zayn's condo, passing a joint back and forth, pool chairs they'd stolen years ago pushed together so their legs are touching.

"Why do you smell like chlorine?" Louis asks.

"I've been learning to swim," Zayn says, mostly so that he doesn't say, _why do you smell like cologne I know you'd never buy?_

"It's about time," Louis says, kicking Zayn's foot with his own.

"I thought so," Zayn says.

"It's also about time we had a party, kicked off summer right," Louis says.

"A party?" Zayn asks.

"Yeah, I was thinking a boat party," Louis says.

"We don't have a boat," Zayn says.

"We'll borrow one. There are always ones docked on the marina that no one moves for months at a time. They're just begging for us to use, really," Louis says.

"You want us to steal a boat?" Zayn asks.

"It's only stealing if we move it. We'll leave it right where it is. Which is not stealing at all," Louis says.

"I think it sort of is," Zayn says.

"My uncle has a boat he hasn't taken out in years. Years, Zayn. That's such a waste of a perfectly good place to get drunk," Louis says.

"There are a million perfectly good places to get drunk around here," Zayn says.

"Yeah but a boat is better, more exciting," Louis says, "we could do it tomorrow night."

"Isn't there like, a big storm rolling in?" Zayn asks.

"Nah, it's swinging the other way. Are you seriously not with me on this?" Louis asks.

"You want us to steal a boat," Zayn says. It's not a real protest though, and he knows Louis knows it. He's been going along with Louis' ideas for so long that stopping now seems sort of pointless. Even if those ideas border on criminal. Or possibly even more so if it's criminal, seeing as that's how their friendship had begun. They'd been six and Louis had convinced Zayn that it was a good idea to go door to door in their neighborhood collecting money for fake charity. They'd been caught, of course, and yelled at and told it wasn't clever because it was in fact, stealing and wrong, and Zayn had said _'I told you!'_ and Louis had laughed and they'd been best friends ever since.

"It's not stealing," Louis repeats.

"Trespassing?" Zayn suggests. Louis rolls his eyes.

"Please?" he says, scooting in his chair so he's more on top of Zayn than before. Zayn sighs.

"Tomorrow?" Zayn asks. Louis beams.

"Tomorrow," he says.

"And by party, you mean you, me, and Niall? I haven't seen like, anyone else this summer," Zayn says.

"Us and, um," Louis pauses and runs a hand through is hair, "do you remember Harry Styles?"

"Curly hair, big eyes, hasn't been around in a few summers?" Zayn asks.

"That's the one. He's around this summer, so I might ask him to swing by," Louis says. Zayn arches an eyebrow.

"Okay?" He says.

"I'm sure he's as bored as we are," Louis says, and his tone is laced with so many things and Zayn just wishes Louis would tell him, would let him know what's going on. Then again, thinking about his framed picture, and his workshop, and whatever is going on with Liam, maybe he has secrets of his own.

****

Louis picks a random boat at the marina and Niall brings more liquor than the four of them could possibly consume in one evening and they all lay on the floor below deck, doing shots and listening to Niall play random songs on his guitar, sometimes singing along. Zayn hasn't seen Harry in years, but he fits in pretty seamlessly, establishing an easy banter with Niall and wanting to hear all about Zayn's major. It's a fairly uneventful night, as uneventful as being drunk while trespassing on someone else's boat can be, anyway. Zayn notices, as he drifts off into a drunken sleep in between Harry and Louis, that something about Harry smells familiar, smells like-

But then the thought is lost and he's asleep, legs across Niall's and curled in between Harry and Louis.

****

They wake up to the boat rocking back and forth so violently Zayn thinks they might already be dead.

"What the fuck?" Niall says.

"It's pouring," Harry says from where he's crawled over to look out the window.

"I thought this storm was blowing the other way," Zayn says.

"It was supposed to!" Louis says.

"Why are we out in the ocean?" Harry asks.

"What?" Niall asks.

"We're not docked," Harry says, gripping the window ledge hard as he almost topples over with the rocking of the boat.

"Fuck," Niall says.

"Is there someone down there?" a muddled and rain-soaked voice calls from above them, "What the hell?"

"Oh my god, we're going to die," Harry says.

"We’re not going to die!" Louis says.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure we fell asleep on a strange boat and now we're out in the middle of the ocean in the middle of a huge storm and we have no idea how capable whoever is up there is!" Niall says.

"What if whoever is up there is drunk? Or dangerous?" Zayn asks.

"At least you can swim now?" Louis offers.

"Louis!" Zayn says, sliding into a wall as he does. There are bottles from last night rolling around, and one breaks as it slides into Niall's boot.

"Okay, okay. I can sail fairly well, I'll go see if I can help whoever is up there?" Louis suggests.

"We don’t know who is up there. Zayn's right, they could be dangerous!" Harry says.

"I don't think the club allows mass murders," Louis says.

"Lou," Harry says, a little bit desperate.

"Staying down here is dangerous!" Louis says.

"Who is down there?" the voice from above demands again.

"I'm going," Louis says.

"Lou," Harry says again, a little bit more desperate this time and something hits Zayn, something forming in his mind about Harry and Louis- and then something literally hits him as a light fixture falls on him and everything sort of freezes and Louis yells his name and then everything blacks out and fades away.

****

He wakes up rain drenched and with a warm hand on his head. He blinks and tries to get the room into focus, frowning when it's not a room at all, more of a tent. There is still a storm raging outside and when he makes his eyes focus he sees that the hand belongs to- Liam.

"Liam?" He asks.

"You're awake," Liam says, smiling at him.

"What?" Zayn asks, and then he hears shuffling and footsteps and Niall, Harry and Louis come through the flap. They're all carrying armfuls of food and other supplies, but Louis drops his and darts to Zayn when he sees him awake.

"Thank god," he murmurs, kneeling by Zayn's side as Harry says,

"Zayn's awake!" and Niall says,

"Glad you're okay, man. We're shipwrecked."

"We're shipwrecked?" Zayn asks.

"Is he okay?" Louis asks, ignoring Zayn's question and reaching a hand out to grip Zayn's. Which, Zayn has no idea what is going here, at all, but the thing that strikes him at the moment is that he was clearly knocked out long enough that Louis was genuinely _worried_.

"I think so, I cleaned the cut up and bandaged it the best I could," Liam says, and Zayn reaches his free hand up to where Liam's hand had been, feeling the bandage there and frowning.

"I'm fine," Zayn says, squeezing Louis' hand, "I think."

"We're not really shipwrecked," Harry offers.

"We are," Niall says.

"Where are we? What happened?" Zayn asks.

"We're on that sandbar with the club cabanas on it," Liam says.

"We sort of crashed into it," Harry says.

"But there is food and I think these cabanas are pretty sturdy," Liam says.

"And once the storm blows over, people will be able to see we're stuck here from the marina," Harry says.

"So not really shipwrecked then?" Zayn asks.

"The boat crashed and now we're stuck on an island until help comes, I think that counts as shipwrecked," Niall says.

"It's a club-owned sandbar and we're not exactly roughing it, there is more than enough food to last the five of us days," Harry says.

"Technically we're still on my property," Louis says, grinning, but still gripping Zayn's hand.

"Um, so now that we're all safe and awake and have stolen food, can I ask something?" Liam asks.

"We had no choice but to break into all the mini fridges, desperate times!" Niall says. Liam grins.

"Right. But um. Why where you guys on my boat?" Liam asks.

"We didn't know it was your boat?" Niall offers.

"You have your own boat?" Harry asks, and Louis shoots him a grin like maybe that was a brilliant diversion tactic or something.

"Graduation present," Liam shrugs, "since I got so many scholarships they let me put what would have been college money into whatever I wanted."

"And you wanted a boat?" Niall asks.

"Yeah," Liam says.

"Is it okay? The crash didn't ruin it forever, did it?" Zayn asks.

"A little banged up, but I think it's only not good to sail right now because of the storm," Liam says.

"Why were you out in the storm anyway?" Louis asks.

"It wasn't storming when I left, and the reports before I left that morning said it wasn't going to," Liam says.

"I told you!" Louis says, glancing at Zayn again.

"Seriously, though. You guys just, like, sleep on random boats, or?" Liam says. Louis sighs and drops Zayn's hand.

"We were getting drunk on your boat," Louis says, sounding almost apologetic.

"Oh," Liam says.

"Don’t hate us?" Zayn says. Liam shakes his head.

"No. That's. I mean. You could have invited me," Liam says.

"Would you have come?" Louis asks.  
"Yes," Liam says.

"Even if you didn't know it was your boat and thought we were just on some random boat?" Louis asks, arching an eyebrow.

"I would have offered you my boat? But even if that wasn't a choice, I would have," Liam says. Louis looks at him across Zayn, just studies him for a minute, and Liam stares right back.

"I just wouldn't have thought you'd be up for that," Louis says.

"You don't think I can keep up with you?" Liam asks, more teasing than angry.

"I didn't say that," Louis says.

"Because, if I'm remembering right, last time you and I were drunk together I kept up with you awfully well," Liam says, throwing innuendo into the last two words and smirking. Zayn swallows at that, because it's sort of ridiculously hot. Louis raises an eyebrow and grins, his face nothing but impressed.

"Possibly, Liam Payne, I underestimated you. You are welcome to join our shenanigans any time you like. It might come in handy that you carry a first-aid kit," Louis says.

"So I'll be invited to the next party on my own boat?" Liam asks.

"On any boat," Louis says. Liam grins.

"Good," he says. They look at each other for another minute, both grinning this time, and Zayn feels something he didn't even realize was tight loosen in his chest.

"Hey, our stolen ice cream is melting!" Niall says.

"Ice cream actually sounds amazing right now," Zayn says, and everyone grins and crowds around him and passes around the tubs of ice cream and listens to the wind howl outside.

****

Zayn's head is feeling a little fuzzy and the storm is still raging when Liam enlists Harry and Niall to head back to the boat with him to grab sleeping bags and other supplies. It's getting late and the storm is showing no signs of stopping and no one's phone has reception yet (Louis' and Niall's are actually both water damaged beyond repair) and they've eaten three tubs of ice cream, four bags of chips and seven sandwiches and Liam had decided they should probably prepare for the night. The three of them throw still-wet coats on and head out, leaving Zayn leaning back in his chair and Louis watching him.

"Are you okay?" Zayn asks after they leave. Louis' eyes are heavy on him and Zayn has the distinct impression Louis said he'd stay behind just so the two of them could talk.

"Liam carried you in here off the boat, you know," Louis says.

"Okay?" Zayn says, feeling himself flush just a little at that and hoping Louis doesn't notice.

"I didn't know you guys- that you and Liam," Louis says.

"There's not, there's nothing to know," Zayn says. Louis arches an eyebrow.

"He was like, terrified for you. You were fucking bleeding, Zayn and like, I didn't know," Louis says.

"You didn't know what?" Zayn asks. Louis sighs and pulls the chair he is sitting on close, like their chairs on the roof, so that he can put a hand on Zayn, like he needs to touch him to collect his thoughts.

"I just really need you to not hate me," Louis says.

"I don't think we're in danger of that," Zayn says. Louis reaches a hand out to the dressing on Zayn's forehead, wincing when Zayn sucks in his breath at the sensation.

"I was fucking worried about you, okay?" Louis says, "and what if something had, I mean, what if you- I've been a shit best friend lately and I know and I'm sorry, okay?"

"You haven't been so bad," Zayn says, a little overwhelmed.

"I didn't know how to tell you," Louis says.

"Tell me what?"

"About Harry," Louis says, and yeah. That makes sense, or, sort of sense anyway.

"You don't have to clear your sex life with me," Zayn says, mostly because Louis still looks like, really troubled and Zayn is kind of worried about him.

"Don't I?" Louis asks, his hand resting on the fabric of Zayn's still damp shirt.

"Louis," Zayn says, because that's probably the closest either of them has ever come to acknowledging all the levels of their friendship. Louis bites his lip.

"He studied abroad spring semester, and we were in Portugal at the same time, and at first it was like, the longer we kept things up when we got home, the more I pulled his pants down in the management office or wherever, it was like still being away? It was like I was still gone, he was like- not real, and not real was really good, you know?" Louis says.

"Sure," Zayn says.

"But like, now you're here and it's a real summer and I have three weeks to commit to either school and then sitting here and pretending to work or just sitting here and pretending to work and everything is real and I still really want him and I just- I didn't, telling you makes it real in a way I can't go back from," Louis says.

"Telling me isn't exactly getting married, Lou," Zayn says.

"You know what I mean," Louis says, and his eyes say, _'please know what I mean'._

"I think," Zayn says.

"I'm really serious about him? He's kind of perfect and he just, you like him right?" Louis asks.

"I do," Zayn says.

"Yeah?" Louis asks.

"Yeah," Zayn confirms.

"And you don't hate me?" Louis asks.

"I couldn't if I tried," Zayn says. Louis smiles at him and grabs for his hand.

"Do you remember last year when I came to stay with your for spring break?" Louis asks.

"Of course."

"And you told me you had gotten into NYU? That you were going?" Louis presses.

"I wanted to tell you in person," Zayn says.

"You were so, you said you were the only person in your class not going somewhere you were a legacy," Louis says.

"I remember. Where is this going?" Zayn asks.

"Do you know that I was going to ask you to come jet around Europe with me?" Louis asks.

"You were?"

"I was," Louis says, shrugging.

"I keep a picture of us on my desk at school, that one of you on my lap?" Zayn offers, because he feels like he should. Louis laughs.

"Because you miss me or because you're using it to scare away your romantic prospects?" Louis asks.

"A little of both?" Zayn says. Louis laughs again and then smirks,

"I never did see all your tattoos," Louis says.

"I'm an injured man," Zayn says. Louis grins,

"Later, then. Tell me about Liam?" He asks.

"He's been teaching me to swim," Zayn says.

"Everything makes sense now," Louis says. Zayn grins, his head a lot clearer than it had been a few minutes ago.

****

Liam, Harry, and Niall bring back sleeping bags and clothes that are almost dry from Liam's boat, reporting that the rain hasn't let up at all and that the waves are cresting to frighteningly high levels.

"We risked our lives for these sleeping bags," Niall says.

"My hero," Louis says.

"Anyone's phone have reception yet?" Liam asks. Everyone checks and shakes their head.

"My battery is dead," Harry says, "so I wouldn't know."

"We're going to be stuck here forever," Niall says.

"It's been like, five hours. I'm sure it will clear up by morning," Harry says. They all change into drier clothes and Liam makes them hang their wet clothes over chair backs and things,

"So they have some hope of drying," he says. They spread out sleeping bags and Louis grins and pulls Harry in close.

"Share with me?" Louis asks.

"You told him?" Harry asks, beaming and glancing over at Zayn.

"I heard," Zayn says, smiling back. Harry bounds over and pulls him into a giant hug. Louis catches Zayn's eye over Harry's shoulder and smiles, looking the happiest Zayn has seem him all summer.

"So I don't have to pretend I don't notice your secret love affair or whatever anymore?" Niall asks.

"It was a secret that Harry and Louis were together?" Liam asks. They all turn to look at him and he flushes a little, "I mean, I just sort of assumed."

"You assumed?" Harry asks, still wrapped around Zayn but eyes on Liam.

"Well I mean, I just. You guys just seemed. I saw it," Liam says, shrugging. Harry laughs into Zayn's shoulder, and everyone else dissolves into laughter with him a few seconds later.

****

Liam climbs into the pushed-together chairs they've all decided Zayn needs to keep for the night, even as everyone else has claimed floor space. Zayn had attempted to protest, but they'd insisted he should probably keep his head elevated, and it does actually still hurt, so he'd given up pretty quickly and settled in.

"I grabbed more gauze off the boat, can I look at your head?" Liam asks.

"Do you know what you're looking at?" Zayn asks, moving over to make room for Liam.

"I am a lifeguard, and I volunteered with the fire department," Liam says.

"Which makes you a doctor?" Zayn asks.

"Which means I've taken first aid multiple times," Liam says.

"Oh," Zayn says. Liam smiles at him and reaches out to take off the first covering. He frowns a little.

"You should probably see an actual doctor when we're not shipwrecked, though. Does that still hurt?" Liam asks.

"Yeah, does it look bad?" Zayn asks. Liam shakes his head.

"It could be a lot worse," he says, using the edge of a gauze pad to wipe some cream of some sort on Zayn's cut.

"What is that?" Zayn asks.

"Just general first aid cream, it's all I had," Liam says.

"It stings a little," Zayn says.

"Sorry," Liam says, pulling out a new piece of gauze and taping it to Zayn's head.

"I can handle it," Zayn says, "So I hear you carried me off the boat."

"You weren't exactly up for walking," Liam says, grinning and pressing down the edges of the tape.

"Thank you," Zayn says, grabbing at Liam's hands when he's done.

"Of course," Liam says.

"So you think this will clear off by morning?" Zayn asks.

"Hopefully," Liam says, and he's just staring at Zayn and he's so stupidly wonderful and Zayn is so much happier than someone who sustained an injury while getting shipwrecked has any right to be that he leans forward a little and kisses Liam softly, just a quick brush of lips.

"In case this sandbar sinks into the ocean in the middle of the night or something and we die," Zayn says. Liam beams at him and pulls him back in close, grabbing the sides of Zayn's face and kissing him, longer and more definite than the first time.

"In case we die," Liam repeats.

"Exactly," Zayn says, kissing Liam over and over, little kisses for every minute he's spent wanting to do this all summer.

"If we don't die, can we just keep doing this forever?" Liam asks.

"Please," Zayn says. Liam pulls back just a little and looks at him for a minute, face flushed and eyes smiling.

"Did you take swimming lessons to learn to swim or because you were hoping we'd end up like this?" Liam asks.

"Not quite like this," Zayn says.

"No storm or gash in your head when you imagined it?" Liam asks.

"I can't say I ever pictured it with Niall, Harry and Louis on the floor around us either," Zayn says.

"But you wanted this?" Liam asks.

"I wanted to see you shirtless, and Louis said this thing about your thighs, and then, you know. Yeah. I wanted this," Zayn says.

"My thighs?" Liam asks, smirking.

"Yeah," Zayn says, grinning and kissing Liam again.

"Am I living up?" Liam asks.

"More than living up," Zayn says, "you don't have to sleep on the floor."

"No?"

"Stay up here with me?" Zayn asks.

"Okay," Liam says, shifting so they're sort of wrapped in each other, "If you want."

"I do," Zayn says. They kiss for a few more minutes, hands searching each other and heat coursing through Zayn's body, making him forget all about the dull throbbing in his head.

"I finished that piece for the workshop," Zayn says after a bit, his hand resting under Liam's shirt, feeling his heart beat.

"Yeah?"

"I have to send in two days, you want to see it before I do? If we don't die, of course?" Zayn asks.

"I'd love to," Liam says, grinning, "I'm glad you're going for it."

"I still might not get it," Zayn says.

"You will," Liam says, moving one of his legs back and forth over Zayn's, gentle but enough to make Zayn groan a little.

"How long a train ride do you think our dorms are?" Zayn asks, leaning into lick a line up Liam's neck as he does.

"We'll have to figure that out," Liam says, shuddering a little as he does.

"We will," Zayn agrees, grinning at the way Liam's heart is speeding up under his palm and wondering just how asleep everyone else is.

****

Zayn wakes up with his legs tangled in Liam's and his phone ringing, he shifts and grabs for his phone, answering it without even checking,

"Hello?" he says, everyone snapping awake and looking at him at the sound.

"Zayn? Honey? Are you okay? Is Louis with you? Is that you boys out there on the sandbar?" Louis' mom says, sounding frantic.

"I'm fine, we're fine," Zayn says, "we're out here on the sandbar, me and Louis and Liam and Harry and Niall."

"And you're all okay?" she asks.

"We're fine, I hit my head and the boat crashed a little and we didn't think it was safe to try and come back, but we're fine." Zayn says. Louis' mom breathes a sigh of relief through the phone and says,

"Put me on speaker?" and Zayn does.

"Your mom," he says to Louis has he does, and Louis lights up and pulls Harry in to him.

"Mom?" Louis asks.

"Thank god, hi, sweetheart. I've been trying to call you boys for hours," she says.

"My phone got a little water damaged, and no one had reception," Louis says.

"You're all safe?" she asks again.

"We are," Louis says.

"Can all of you do me a favor and go around and say your names so I know you're there and you're fine and I can tell your parents I talked to you while we send someone to get you?" she says. She still sounds kind of frantic, and Zayn doesn't blame her.

"I'm Niall and I'm safe and sound," Niall says, saluting the phone.

"Harry and we're fine, we found food and Liam had a first aid kit," Harry says.

"Liam here. I'm fine, but Zayn probably needs to see a doctor for the gash on his head," Liam says.

"It's not so bad," Zayn says.

"Okay. The water is still too choppy to send a boat out, but we're going to send a helicopter over and get you out of there right away, okay boys? Zayn, can you climb a rope ladder? We'll have them take you right to the hospital and I'll meet you there," Mrs. Tomlinson says.

"I don't need to go to the hospital," Zayn says.

"He does," Louis says.

"Just to be safe, it's a good idea," she says, "and we'll have your boat towed when it's safe, Liam."

"Makes sense," Liam says.

"It's really just a cut," Zayn protests.

"And sometimes cuts need stitches," Liam says.

"He's right, honey," Mrs. Tomlinson says, "I'm going to get all of this in motion and tell everyone's parents what's going on, the helicopter should be there in about an hour, you boys just sit tight."

"We'll be right here," Louis says.

"And when you're back and I've made sure you're all in once piece we can talk about why you all were out on a boat during a storm in the first place," she says.

"Right," Louis says, burying his face in Harry's hair a little.

"I'm so glad you're all safe," she says again. She tells Louis and Zayn she loves them and hangs up, and they all just look at each other for a minute.

"We're saved!" Niall says.

"We should pack up, I guess?" Liam says.

"We have an hour, we should have one last island breakfast," Louis says.

"You're a genius," Niall says. They pull out the remains of the food they'd grabbed yesterday and all move to sit on the floor, Harry mostly on Louis' lap and Liam and Zayn clutching hands.

"Do you really think I'll need stitches?" Zayn asks, opening a bottle of water.

"I'll come with you if you want," Liam says.

"Okay," Zayn says, beaming at him. Louis kicks his foot against Zayn's and grins at him, and Zayn beams back. He thinks there is a metaphor in here somewhere, something about learning to swim both literally and figuratively, maybe? Or maybe something about how they're waiting to be rescued but also for their lives to start? Whatever it is, he is pretty sure that even if he ends up needing ten stitches or something, this will be his favorite summer so far.

Looking around, he thinks everyone would agree.


End file.
